How Loki Can Fix Endgame’s Time Travel Loophole

Disney’s Loki has the chance to fix a major Marvel Cinematic Universe loophole made by the convenient time traveling in Avengers: Endgame.

WARNING: Spoilers for Loki episode 3, “Lamentis”

Disney’s Loki has the chance to fix a major Avengers: Endgame loophole made by its incredibly convenient time traveling. Endgame introduced time travel to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the movie, the characters travel back in time to try to get the Infinity Stones to reverse Thanos’ deadly Snap. The mission takes a heavy toll, sending many of the original Avengers into the sunset. But the plan ultimately works in the end, making time travel a new tool in the Avengers’ arsenal.

Disney’s Loki adds a new wrinkle to time traveling in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Loki introduces the Time Variance Authority, an agency created by mysterious Time-Keepers that keep track of the Sacred Timeline. When someone steps out of their path on the predetermined Sacred Timeline, as Loki does at the beginning of the series, the TVA comes along and corrects it. If not, the actions could lead to branching timelines and the creation of a chaotic Multiverse. According to the TVA, the Avengers’ time traveling was sanctioned by the Time-Keepers, which is why it was allowed to happen in the first place.

Related: Loki’s TVA Twist Explains A Major Episode 1 Mystery

The Avengers’ time-traveling journey creates a major MCU problem, but Loki has the opportunity to fix it. With the introduction of time travel, any mistake can seemingly be erased. Time traveling takes the stakes out of the MCU, essentially giving superheroes endless redos to get things right. Marvel just has to say the actions are sanctioned by the Time-Keepers, and everything will always work out. Plot holes can then be explained away by simply saying it was always supposed to happen that way. The downfall of the TVA seems like it would make the situation worse, allowing time travel to be completely unregulated. However, a new fan theory (via Reddit) explains the destruction of the TVA is actually the key to fixing everything.

The creation of the Multiverse could correct the Avengers’ time traveling loophole. According to the theory, Tony Stark’s time travel calculations could be completely thrown off by eliminating the Sacred Timeline and introducing the Multiverse. And with no Stark around anymore, time travel could be lost. Additionally, Thanos reduced the Infinity Stones to atoms in the main MCU timeline, so the Time Stone doesn’t technically exist as an option to reverse things either. Yes, the destruction of the TVA makes time traveling unregulated, but the creation of the Multiverse could also eliminate it as a plot device altogether.

While the details of the theory are up in the air, it makes sense that Marvel would want to move away from time travel. Avengers: Endgame has gone on to become one of the highest grossing movies of all time. It was a tentpole event helping to bring the first three phases of the MCU to a close, and continually revisiting its storylines would cheapen that. Rather than time travel being an exciting way to put past MCU scenes in a new light, it would quickly become a tired trope and a free pass for Marvel to redo whatever the studio wanted. The upcoming Marvel films are all about bringing new things to the MCU, whether that’s introducing a new Asian hero in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings or the first gay superhero kiss in Eternals. As additional evidence for the theory, Marvel is focused on where its stories go in the future, not where it’s been in the past and Loki is setting the pace.

Loki releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.

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